The Sliver Lining
by x.The.Owl.City.x
Summary: When the summer holidays draw to an end, Meg Delhi is more than a little relived to be away from her new neighbore, an expert limpet Isabella. But forgotten text books arn't the only thing arriving late at hogwarts...


**Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging to the Harry Potter universe **

What on earth possesses a parent to saddle a child with a name like Angel, Fifi or Peaches? Don't they have a pang of guilt when they're stood in the park calling 'Princess? Come here Princess!' and a child, rather than a poodle, runs up. Meghana, what were they thinking! Well I know what they were thinking, that a name with a meaning would be perfect for their first child, and that meaning would be…. 'Cloud' it doesn't even deserve a drum role. Why would they want their daughter to be like a fluffy looking gas floating across the sky? I'm probably the complete opposite to 'fluffy', with strong cheekbones, ski slope nose and wide lips I was more 'striking' than anything else. My sister once told me that when I smile my facial features all seem to fit together and I actually look _quite_ pretty. A good complement from a 15 year old who's more prone to walk a few meters ahead of her older sister. Ali (Alopa) has a fairytale Pocahontas kind of look, with long silky black hair and full pouty lips, caramel brown skin and curves I would kill for, safe to say she has her fair share of admirers.

'Meg? Ali?' my mum called as she made her way up the stairs, I could see in the mirror's reflection Ali bury deeper under her duvet, not wanting to be woken up so early. 'Alopa why aren't you up yet?" Mum cried with frustration, she dropped the laundry on the end of my bed and ripped away her duvet.

"MUM!" Ali wailed sitting bolt upright, Mum however just tutted and turned to leave, this was a yearly occurrence every 1st September. "I can't believe she did that" Ali muttered once Mum was out of ear shot

"Here's an idea, actually get up on time-HEY!" I cried as she shoved me out of the way of the mirror, I'm not going to miss sharing a room with _her_, at Hogwarts.

"I need to do my hair" she shrugged as she pulled out bottle after bottle from the small cupboard between our beds

"Ali, why do you use all this stuff?" I asked picking up one of the 10 bottles, _witch wonders: silky straight_… I thought she already had straight hair?

"Just because you don't care about your hair" she sneered snatching it back from my hands

"Just because I'm not _obsessed_ with it you mean" I laughed running a hand through my black mess of well, frizz.

"Why anyone would want to look like a poodle is beyond me" she shook her head in a superior way, which I found quite funny seeing as her pyjamas had unicorns on.

"We're not all lucky enough to have naturally straight hair" I sighed; she gave her reflection one last smug smile and left for the bathroom….what is that smell? I glanced around the room half expecting to see a group of wet dogs, but no, sat staring up at me from the floor was my 3 year old brother, grinning like an idiot- which he quite possibly was. You may think that's a little harsh on the boy who doesn't even know the alphabet yet, but he still should know where a glass door is, after running into it 5 times.

"Smelly" he giggled clutching a now bottle to his chest, a _Witch Wonders_ now empty bottle. I stared at him for a moment, and he stared back seeming to realise this was no laughing matter.

"A.J, give me the bottle" I whispered edging slowly closer to him, which didn't take long seeing as it was a very small room

"Mine" he whispered back clutching it tighter to his chest

"A.J please-"

"MINE!" he yelled running from the room, I just stared after him, moments like this I worry, and not just because Ali will kill him and turn him into her new purse when she finds out.

It took another 2 hours before we were almost ready to leave, the trunks were packed and loaded in to the car, my fat tabby cat was hissing and spitting in his basket and Dad was sat in the car impatiently, why he gets in 10 minutes before we have to leave, is beyond me.

"Ali are you dressed yet?" Mum called up the stairs.

"Yes Mum" she sighed, I swear Mum's eyes were about to pop out of her head when she saw Ali's outfit; a quite short summer dress she had gotten for her birthday, in the restaurant we had gone to it had looked nice but in our kitchen it's bold floral patters and bright material simply looked odd "What on earth do you think you're wearing?" she demanded putting her hands on her hips, a clear danger sign, but Ali didn't seem able to spot these anymore, she was always arguing with mum and dad about one thing of another.

"Err, clothes" she drawled raising her eyebrows in a way that read _what else_. Not a good move with our Mum

"Don't you cheek me Alopa! And where is your jumper you'll freeze in that dress"

"I'll be fine!"

"Oh no you wont, go get a cardigan this minute!" Ali stalked from the room and stomped up the stairs, the effect was ruined slightly by the way she wobbled like a newborn giraffe in her platform shoes... they weren't even that high!

"What is it with her this summer?" Mum sighed shaking her head, her slight double chin wobbling side to side.

"It's her new friends, they're all like that"

"Well I'm just glad you have nice friends, like Isabella" she said, I groaned, that's my general response anyone brings up boring Bella; she is _the_ definition of a limpet.

"Mum, the only reason you liked Bella is because she complimented your cooking"

"That's not true; she's a very nice girl, always so quiet and well mannered"

"And clingy" I added under my breath, but it seemed she heard me because I got one of her _I'm very disappointed _looks.

"Well that's what you get from wrapping children in cotton wool" came my dad's voice from the doorway, he seemed to have given up waiting in the car. "She would probably be ok if she were sent to a good school like Hogwarts"

"But I thought she was to sickly to go to school, that was why she couldn't ride a broom" Mum frowned and picked up the sandwiches she had made for us to each on the train.

"She might have been when she was younger, but she's perfectly fine now, apart from an over-anxious Mum of course"

"Of course, of course, but I can't help but feeling a little sorry for Mrs Meadows, it must have been difficult when Isabella was ill, especially with her husband away so much, I suppose it's only natural she became over protective"

"Mum do we have to spend my last minutes at home talking about _boring_ Bella" I moaned "isn't it bad enough that's she's been my shadow for the last few weeks"

"Your quite right" I just looked at my Dad in surprise, isn't this the part where I'm lectured about being nicer to clingy, limpet girls, who lisp… she's _17_! "We should be going, unless you want to miss your last year" he chuckled quietly at his own (not) joke and went back to the car.

"Your last year" Mum shook her head again, what is it with her and the head shaking lately, is it really that hard to believe that yes, I am 17, and that yes, I am in my last year. "My baby's growing up" she wailed, flinging her arms around me in a bone crushing hug, quite literally seeing as she wasn't the smallest of women…

"Erm…" was all I could think of as I awkwardly patted her on the back "there, there?" her shoulders heaved with her sobs, this is why she doesn't come with us to the train station.

"Is Meg there?" asked a girly, lisping voice… I know that voice

"Yes she is, come in Isabella" Why God, _why_?

"MEG!" all I saw was a flash of fluffy blond hair before another (much more slender) pair of arms replaced my Mums, she had gone in search of a tissue "I'm so glad I dwidn't mwiss you!" she lisped while I patted her on the back, I really need to learn what to do when someone's crying on my shoulder.

"Yes well erm, it's been lovely spending the summer with you- oh Bella don't cry" but it was too late, her big blue eyes were already filling with tears and her bottom lip was trembling, with a load sob tears started to spill down her cheeks. Maybe it was the look of unease on my face or the fact I was shooting her pointed glances, but my mum bustled over tissue at the ready and said briskly but kindly

"Come now Bella, there's really no need for tears" shame she doesn't follow her own advise really, "before you know it, Christmas will be here and Meg will be home again" maybe now wasn't the best time to mention I was staying at Hogwarts for the holidays…

Platform 9 ¾, probably my favourite platform in the whole of Kings Cross station, or though that isn't hard, how many of them require you to run through a wall!

"But Mum, can't you run through first?" whined a small boy, probably a first year judging by the fact he looked somewhere between nervous and excited, not to mention he was a midget.

"No Gilderoy, you have to learn to do things for yourself, instead of copying others" his mother reprimanded, I felt it would be rude to just barge past them, but if they don't hurry up we'll all be walking to Hogwarts!

"Fine" he sighed flicking his golden hair out of his eyes in a very _'I'm a star'_ sort of way. After 5 more minutes and 10 more run ups we, and the boy, were finally through the barrier.

"Ali!" a group of girls (clones) all squealed at once.

"Hey girls!" she called waving franticly; I noticed her cardigan has mysteriously disappeared...

"Now be good Meghana, and remind Alopa to write, you know how your mother gets" with a stern nod he left me to stand amidst the smoke like a loner, that was until I saw a familiar flash of red and raised voices.

"James Potter how dare you try to _hug_ me!"

**A/N: So there's the first chapter. Love it? Hate it? let me know! the next chapter will be coming... soon. Also a big thanks to my great beta reader (drumroll please) karabell-karaboo723!**


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